Clock-controlled calendar



Feb. 23, 1932. F. x. GRI ES.

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR 7 Sheets-$het 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1926 F x. GRIES Feb. 23, 1932.

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1926 F. x. GRIES 1,846,962

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR- Filed Sept. 16, 1926 7 Sheets-$heet 3 &

in -73 3g i6 Feb. 23, 1932.

F. x. GRIES 1,846,962

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR Filed Sept. 16., 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 23, 1932.

F. x. GRIES 1,846,962

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR Filed Sept. 16, 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 23, 1932. r-'. x. GRIES 1,846,962

CLOCK CONTROLLED CALENDAR Filed Sept. 16, 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet s F. X. GRIES Feb. 23, 1932.

LED CALENDAR CLOCK CONTROL Filed Sept. 16, 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK X. GRIES, OF S'UNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T CHARLES J. REITZ, OF

' SUNBURY, PENNSYLVANIA CLOCK-CONTROLLED CALENDAR Application filed September 16, 1926. Serial No. 135,890.

This invention relates to a calendar.

It is particularly aimed to provide a novel construction of calendar adapted for operation jointly with a clock and under control of the actuation of the clock.

A further object is to provide a novel construction wherein the calendar never requires special setting on account of leap year.

Another object is to provide a novel construction wherein the relation of the parts may be determined, so as to operate properly, for instance following adjustment.

A further object is to provide a novel wheel or disk in connection with mechanism operated monthly, to actuate a wheel adapted to rotate once every four years.

Still another object is to provide a novel construction wherein the particular day of the week, as well as the month, will be indicated.

Still further it is aimed to provide a novel construction wherein the calendar per se is operated by a motor or spring special as re gards the same, and which is under control of escapement mechanism in turn operated from the clock itself and particularly the hour hand or hour hand shaft or spindle.

Various additional objects and advantages will partly be pointed out hereinafter and otherwise will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clock con structed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation illustrating the month indicating mechanism;

Figure 3 is a View illustrating the escapement for the calendar and suggesting its control from the hour hand shaft of the clock;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the calendar part and its operating mechanism;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the parts of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 10;

Figure 8 is a front elevation of the parts of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 but on a larger scale and partly broken away and showing the parts in a different position;

Figure 10 is a view substantially similar to Figures 8 and 9 but showing the parts in still another position;

Figure 11 is an elevation of the operating mechanism for a calendar;

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 1212 of Figure 9;

Figure 13 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 13-13 of Figure 8;

Figure 14 is a detail elevation of the monthcontrol disk;

Figure 15 is a view similar to 14 showing the parts in a different position of relative adjustment Figure 16 is a plan view of the parts of Figure 14 in the same relative position;

Figure 17 is a plan view of the parts of Figure 15 in the same relative position;

Figure 18 is a detail elevation of one side of the month-control wheel, and

Figure 19 is a side elevation of the opposite side of said wheel.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, a. clock is shown at 10 of conventional form and as mounted by a suitable support or case generally designated 11. The case has a front wall or panel 12, with which the dial of the clock is substantially flush and below which clock, the panel 12 is provided with a row of annular figures as at 13 indicating the number of days in a month, from 1 to 31, and with which an indicator 14 is associated, being turnably mounted on a shaft or spindle 15 journaled in the calendar mechanism to be hereinafter referred to. Adjacent to the figures 13, is an auxiliary dial or delineation as at 16 having indications for each of the twelve months of the year and in connection with which a pointer or indicator 17 operates, being carried by a spindle or shaft 18 journaled in the said calendar mechanism. Surrounded by the indications 16 and eccentrically, is a dial or disk delineation as at 19 having three portions as shown to correspond wit-h the month of February having 28 days for three successive years and then having 29 days on the next following year, the particular number of days for the month of February being shown by an indicator as at 19 (Fig. 2 carried by a shaft 20 journaled in the said calendar mechanism.

The particular day of the Week is also inclica-ted at a dial or the equivalent as at 21 and has associated therewith a. pointer or indicator 22 carried by a spindle or shaft 23 journaled in said calendar mechanism.

The operating parts or mechanisms primarily constituting the improvements are suitably mounted within the case 11 in the rear of panel 12 and mostly below the clock 10 and particularly by a framework generally designated A (as well shown in Fig. 5) and having an intermediate and rear plate as at 26 and 27, respectively. Said plates are connected rigidly together in any suitable manner for instance by bolts, rods or studs as at 28.

In order to operate the improvements, at suitable spring motor generally designated B (Fig. 5) is employed and which for the most part may be of any appropriate construction and therefore requires no undue specific description. The parts for such spring motor B however are disposed between the plates 26 and 27 and have the parts thereof suitably fastened on the adjacent elements 28 or on shafts or rods journaled in such plates. Of such motor B, the clock spring is shown at 29, adapted to be wound by a key applied to a stem 30, and it drives a train of gearing 31 (Fig. 5). Said spring motor through the medium of a'rotating shaft 32 driven by said train 31 is, adapted to drive and control the parts. or mechanisms which actuate the indicators 14, 17, 19 and 22. On said shaft 32 is an escapement wheel 34 coacting with av detent member 35. Said detent member 35 (Figs. 3, 4 and 11) is in the form of a lever having arms 36, 37 and 50, connected together in offset relation by a sleeve 38 journaled on a rod 39 pivotally connected to adjacent plates.

- Under the action of the spring 29, a pin 40 (Figs. 3, 4 and 11) on the wheel 34 is normally in contact with an offset end or finger 41 of the arm 37, thus preventing operation of the motor B. The detent member 35 is adapted to be tripped twice daily in view of the fact that it is controlled by the operation of clock 10 and from the shaft or spindle 42 of the hour hand 43 (Figs. 1 and 3) thereof. To this end, a disk 44 is rigid with said hour spindle 42 so as to rotate therewith and disk 44 has a projection 45 extending peripherally thereof. A lever 45 is pivoted at 46, within the case lland at its opposite end, a rod or flexible element 47 is hinged or otherwise connected as at 48 and which in turn is similarly connected as at 49, to the arm 36 of the detent 35. The detent 35 by means of a spring 35 is urged to a position with the finger 41 extending into the path of movement of the pin 40. The movement of the detent 35 to said position is limited by abutment of said arm 50 with a stop 51.

The shaft 32 makes a single revolution daily although the disk 44 rotates twice daily or once every twelve hours in view of the fact that it is carried by the hour hand. Because of this situation, wheel 34 is provided with a stop or pin as at 40 in addition to the pin 40. With specific reference to Figure 3, but considered in connection with Figure 4 so that the arrangement of arms 37 and 50 and their coacting pins indifferent planes will be clear, arm 37 is in engagement with the stop 40, say at noon.

During the first engagement of the projection 45 with arm 45 thereafter through rotation of disk 44, such arm 45 will be elevated, rod 47 lifted and the detent 35 rocked on axis 39, thus moving the finger 41 to the left (Fig. 3) out of the path of movement of the pin 40 whereby motor B is released or free to operate to impart motion to the calendar parts and particularly to rotate disk 34 counter-clockwise. This operation is slight or limited since the arm 50 of the detent has a terminal ofiset as at 52 (Figs. 3 and 11) which is moved to the left in Figure 3 from the full line to the dottedline position into the path of movement of and is then engaged by a pin 53 carried by another gear wheel 54, which rotates much faster than disk 34, of the train 31, specifically journaled on a shaft 33, thus arresting the rotation of the disk 34. Such slight counter-clockwise rotation of the disk 34 is merely for the purpose of moving pin 40 below the full line or normal position of finger 41 ,hence, since the time that the arm 45 is elevated is of course slight and the latter lowers after it is disengaged by the projection 45, the finger 41 under action of spring 35 moves inwardly on axis 39 to the right in Figure 3 to assume a position between the lugs or pins 40 and 40. Incidental to the inward movement of the finger 41, the finger 52 disengages stop 53 and the motor B and associated mechanism slightly further rotates until motion is arrested by engagement of pin 4O with the finger 41. The next following engagement of projection 45 with the lever 45*, will cause the rod 47 to tilt the detent 35, thus again anovin the finger 41 to the left in Figure 3 out of engagement with pin 40, so that the motor B will be again released and rotate counter-clockwise until finger 52 is engaged by pin 53.v Pin 40 is thus moved below finger 41. Projection 45 thereupon releases arm 45 so that the detent under action of spring 35 will move inwardly with finger 4] located between pins 40 and 40 as in Figure 3*, and finger 52 will disengage pin 53.

Thereupon motor B is free to complete rotation of shaft 32 and disk 34, the rotation being stopped through the subsequent engagement of the pin 40 with the finger 41, that is restored to the full line position of Figure 3 which is the starting position. The shaft 32 also carries a cam plate 55 (Figures 8, 9 and 10). This cam plate 55 makes one revolution every twenty-four hours or daily. A shifting disk is shown at 56, which is rigid on the shaft 15 and accordingly rotates clockwise therewith and is designed to rotate a complete revolution or substantially so once every month, irrespective of whether the month has 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, and to then automatically return by counter-clockwise movement to initial position to start operation for the succeeding month. Said disk 56' is moved or rotated a notch daily through the engagement of a pin or lug 57 on the cam 55, engaging in the adjacent notches 58, successively, which are arranged peripherally of the disk 56. Said notches 58 are thirty-one in number so that there will be one for each day of any month. The said disk 56 has a lug or stud 56 thereon which is adapted through counter-clockwise movement of the disk to abut an operating slide or actuator shown as of L-form, at 60, (Fig. 10) for the indicator 17 and associated mechanism. Said slide 60 is normally in engagement with an abutment at 61 carried by the plate 26 or other appropriate part. The retracted position of the slide 60 is shown in Figures 8 and 10. Disk 56 has a flexible element 62 connected thereto and in turn con nected to a contractile spring 63 fastened at 64 to the plate 26', thus normally urging counter-clockwise rotation of the disk 56. A stop 59 on the disk 56 will engage the slide 60 and limit counter-clockwise movement thereof when engaged by lug or pin 56 as hereinafter described. Retrograde rotation of the disk 56 is prevented and the disk held in its different positions by means of a pawl 65 in the form of a lever which is pivoted on stub shaft 66 secured to an adjacent stationary part of one of the plates 26 or a part stationary therewith.

The plate 26 has a laterally extending shelf at one corner thereof as at 67 (Figs. 4, 6 and 7) on which a carriage 68 is mounted for slight movement longitudinally thereof, being guided by pins 69 carried by said shelf and disposed in elongated slots 70, (Figure 6) of a base plate 71 of carriage 68. Said carriage 68 has an upstanding rear plate or wall 72 provided with an arm 73 (Figs. 6, 7 and 10) extending in the rear of the pawl 65 and to the right of it having a forward lug or projection 74 engaging it, so that as the slide 68 moves to the left, the lug 74 will rock the pawl 65 to thereby disengage the wheel 56, so that the spring 63 may return it by counter-clockwise movement to starting position.

The aforesaid shaft 18 carrying the month indicator 17 is journaled in the wall 72 and other parts of the slide 68 and has a pinion 75 (Fig. 10) keyed thereto. Said pinion is in mesh with a larger pinion or gear wheel 76 independently of or rigid with the month control wheel or disk 77 but both of which wheels or disks 76 and 77 are keyed to the shaft 20 so as to rotate therewith, and which shaft carries the indicator 19 aforesaid. The shaft 20 and disks 76 and 77 are held against retrograde rotation by means of a pawl 78 pivoted at 79 to the wall 72 and urged into engagement with the notches between the teeth 80 of said gear wheel 76, by means of a contractile spring 81 fastened to the pawl 78 and to the base plate 7'1.

As will later better appear, gear wheel 76 and associated parts are turned counterclockwise a tooth at a time through contact of the teeth 80 with a pawl or arm 82 carried by a stub shaft- 66 as the carriage 68 slides to the right in returning to its normal position. Said pawl 65 has an angle arm 83, whereby it is in the form of a bell crank lever (Fig. 10), and connected to the angle arm 83 as at 84 and connected to the pawl 82 as at 85, are contractile springs 86 and 87, respectively, fastened at 88 to the plate 26. Such springs 86 and 87 thus serve to maintain the pawls 65 and 82 in engagement with the wheels 56 and 76 respectively.

The shaft 20, disk 76 and disk 77 are each adapted to rotate once every four years, such rotation and the return of disk 56 to reset pointer 14 at the start of each month being controlled through the movement of slide 60 to the left (as in Fig. 9) and particularly through the coaction of a lateral arm 89 on said slide with the wheel 77. To this end, said arm has a shoulder as at 90 (Figs. 6, 16 and 17) and it has a tongue or extension 91 forwardly of said shoulder. Wheel or disk 77 (Figs. 14 and 15) in turn has radially spaced teeth 92 projecting outwardly beyond its periphery 93 and it also has three teeth 94 projecting laterally from the inner side thereof and from the same side as a laterally projecting tooth or lug 95, set inwardly farther from the periphery of disk 77 than the teeth 94. The periphery 93 and teeth 92, 94 and 95 each acts as an abutment for a part of arm 89 and respectively are arranged at different distances from the center of wheel theperiphery 93 to control the movement of the wheel 77 and associated parts to cause lug 7 4 to disengage pawl 65 from such wheel at the end of a thirty-day month, said shoulder further cooperating or abutting the lug 92 to cause lug 74 to disengage pawl 65 from wheel 7 7 at the end of a thirty-day month and tongue 91 abutting the lug 94 in February during'the three years when it has 28 days, and abutting the lug 95 to cause lug 74 to disengage pawl 65 from wheel 77 in February during leap year.

Presuming operation, the disk 44, twice daily will release the motor mechanism B on a complete rotation of the shaft 32 once daily I or every twenty-four hours, in view of the specific mechanism heretofore described centeringaround the detent 35 and specifically because one rocking movement of the detent lever 35 permits end 4-1 to enter between the pins and 40 so that the movement of the disk 34: as thus released cannot be for a complete circle and so that on the succeeding rockingmovement of such detent 35, the disk 34: may move to completethe circle as the released disk 34 can then move to the extent permitted by the greater distance between suchpins 40 and 9&0. Each rotation of the shaft 32 rotates the cam and causes pin 57 as in Figure 9, to advance the wheel 56 one notch corresponding to a day. The wheel 77 so rotates counter-clockwise that when the wheel 56 has traveled 30 notches, one of the teeth 92 at its outer end will be engaged by the shoulder 90 of bar 89. Previously, the pin 56 will have moved into the position of Figure 9, thus contacting with the slide 60 and moving it to the left. Such contact will cause the carriage 68 to also slide to the left so that its lug 74 will rock and disengage the pawl from wheel 58, as shown in Figure 9 so that the spring 63 will by counterclockwise movement restore disk 56 to initial position with its lug 59 striking slide 60 and returning it to normal position as in Figures 8 and 10. The sliding of carriage 68 to the left causes pawl 82 to idle over a tooth of gear wheel 76 and hence on sliding of such carriage to the right, pawl 82 forms an abutment causing Wheel 76 to rotate counter-clockwise one tooth, thus changing the month and the indications 16 and from the illustration shown in Figure 2 from February to March. Likewise, in the case of a thirtyone day month, the shoulder engages the periphery 93 and in the case of a 28-day month the free end of tongue 91 engages the teeth 94 while for February in leap year the free end ofsuch tongue engages the tooth 95. In each instance, the carriage is slid through the actuation of theslide 60 under movement of wheel 56, to rotate the wheel 77, wheel 76 and shaft 20, it being understood as previously setforth that such part rotates once every four years and that the teeth are appropriate- The movement of the parts also rotates the indicator 19 relatively to the indication -20 to show whether February of the current year has 28 days or 29 days. This is useful in setting or adjusting the mechanism. The mechanism beingonce adjusted and placed in operation, will operate practically perpetually and of course subject to the operation of the clock 10 and winding spring'29.

The said slide or actuator 60 may have a hub or bearing 97, Fig. 7, thereon provided with projections 98, which are slidably mounted through adjacent studs such as those at 103, to thus support the slide 60 in an upright position. i

The rotation of the said cam 55 actuates another slide as at 100 (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) since its cam edge is engageable with a projection 101 on such slide. A contractile spring 105 is connected to the plate 26 and to, the slide 100 to normally urge it to the left in the drawings and with the projection 100 in contact with the slide or actuator 60. An arm 106 depends from the slide 100 and at its lower end extends slightly out of the plane of the slide to the rear so as to be in a position to tend to prevent accidental retraction of the pawl 65 from the gear wheel 56.

The shaft 23 (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) is also journaled' in the plate 26 and a bracket 107 thereon and is provided with a basket gear 108 having its rods or teeth at 109. A pawl 110 is'pivoted at 111 to a dependent at the forward end of slide 100, such pawl normally resting on a pin 112 carried by the dependent and urged to that position by 'acontractile spring 113 fastened thereto and to the slide. The operating end of the pawl 110, on the sliding movement of the slide 1 00 to the right, serves to engage a tooth 109 and thusadvance the basket gear 108 and shaft 23 one notch, accordingly moving the indicator 22 once daily. A pawl 114: is pivoted at 115 to the plate 26 and coacts with the teeth 109 to prevent retrograde rotation of the basket gear, such pawl being urged into operative relation with said gear by a contractile spring 116 fastened thereto and to the bracket 107.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. i Q

I claim as my invention:

1. A calendar mechanism having an element operable daily, month indicating means operable thereby at the end of a month including a laterally slidable actuator and a wheel engaged by the actuator having a movement relative to the remainder of said means, said wheel having parts at different operative locations to the normal position of the actuator, said actuator having an arm arranged substantially radially with respect to said wheel and coacting directly with the latter, to determine the time of operation of the month indicating means so as to allow for variation in the number of days thereof.

2. A calendar mechanism having an element operable daily, month indicating means operable thereby at the end of a month, including a laterally slidable actuating member having a movement relative to the remainder of said means and also having an arm and a wheel member engageable by said actuating member, one of said members having parts regularly positioned for engagement by the other so that the time of actuation may be controlled to allow for the difference in the number of days in months.

3. A calendar mechanism having a control element operable periodically, an actuator movable thereby, a carriage, and indicating means on said carriage, a pawl to normally prevent movement of said element retractible through movement of said carriage, and a pawl to actuate said indicating means incidental to the movement of said carriage.

4. A calendar mechanism having means to indicate months, means to advance said means monthly comprising a wheel having notches corresponding to the months of four years, and means associated with the wheel for actuation according to the number of days in the month comprising a wheel having teeth at various locations thereon, an actuator to coact with said teeth, a wheel operable to shift the actuator monthly, a pawl associated with said wheel to prevent retro grade movement thereof, and a pawl to coact with the first mentioned wheel to advance it a distance corresponding to a month at a time.

5. A calendar mechanism having means to indicate months, means to advance said means monthly comprising awheel having notches corresponding to the months of four years, means associated with the wheel for actuation according to the number of days in the month comprising a wheel having teeth at various locations thereon, an actuator to coact with said teeth, a wheel oper able to shift the actuator monthly, a pawl associated with said wheel to prevent retrograde movement thereof, a pawl to coact with the first mentioned wheel to advance it a distance corresponding to a month at a time, return spring means associated with said pawls and on opposite sides of the axis of the first mentioned pawl, and means to prevent retrograde movement of the first mentioned wheel.

6. A calendar mechanism having a control element operable periodically, an actuator movable by said element, a carriage, indicating means on said carriage, a pawl normally preventing movement of said element and retractable through movement of said carriage, a pawl pivotally mounted on said mechanism to actuate said indicating means incidental to movement of said carriage, and return spring means associated with said pawls and connected therewith on opposite sides of the axis of the first mentioned pawl.

7 A calendar mechanism having a rotatable control element, means urging said element to normal position, an actuator, means to rotate said element whereby said actuator will be operated, a calendar mechanism having means to indicate months, means to advance said means monthly comprising a wheel having notches corresponding to the months of four years, means associated with the wheel for actuation according to the number of days in the month comprising a wheel having teeth at various locations thereon to coact with the aforesaid actuator, and means to coact with the first mentioned wheel to advance it a distance corresponding to a month at a time.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK X. GRIES. 

